In this territory of the Haute-Provence Geopark, landforms such as the Beaujeu fold tell a complex and eventful story: that of the Earth.
The Beaujeu fold is a remarkable example of the deformations left by different geological eras. Located between Digne-les-Bains and Seyne, this anticlinal fold (shaped like a bridge) illustrates the deformations that affected the Digne nappe (a set of strata over 4,000m thick, displaced from their original place of deposition). The deformations indicated by this fold may have occurred 34 million years ago. The oldest layers belong to the Lower Jurassic (Lias) and were deposited around 185 Ma ago. They were located a few kilometers further north, but were displaced much later (-10 Ma) when the Digne nappe was set in motion.
Other folds of the same family, just as spectacular, can be seen in the neighboring Bléone valley, towards Blégiers, where they are superimposed on older deformations.
